VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Best Tachometer for Antique/ Vintage Chevrolet

I am fine tuning my 1929 and am in the market to get a tachometer to be able to check the engine, generator, etc... RPM's

Anyone have any recommendations or experience with certain brands/ models ???

I was looking at something like this CyberTech Digital Photo Tachometer Pretty Simple, Cheap, and gets good reviews ??
...it is a NO contact item
...place reflective strip on surface, run it and check RPM's

Also does anyone have a Mounted Tach in their Antique/ Vintage ??

May be interested in using one inside for driving & monitoring.
...Does it have to be 6v, or will a 12v one work ??
...Best way to connect for accurate readings !?

BearsFan,

I have installed tachometers in my 37 Chev 1/2 ton, my 40 Chev 1/2 ton, and my 36 Pontiac Deluxe 8 coupe. All are vintage used Thomas Faria tachometers. See the photo which shows the tach in my 40 Chev 1/2 ton:

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All three tachs that I have are similar in that they are 0-5000 rpm range. This is just right for vintage Chevrolets, as the cruising speed of 50 mph puts the tach right at mid-range of 2500 rpm, depending on rear end ratio and wheel/tire size. Also, because of the smaller range, the subdivisions are further apart, making the tach easier to read.

The Faria tachs I have were made for boats, but they work on any gas engine. However, these vintage tachs are made to operate on an engine of a given number of cylinders (that is, they don't have a switch to select between 4, 6, or 8 cylinders). So, when buying one, you have to know how many cylinders the tach is made for.

These older tachs use a two-wire connection, such that the tach is wired in series with the primary wire to the ignition coil so that it senses pulses in the coil primary circuit. With this type of connection, I don't think the voltage matters (six or 12 volts). I don't know for sure, but I think mine were probably used on 12 volt installations, but they work fine in all my 6 volt applications. The tachs are illuminated, so if you use one in a 6 volt application, you simply need to install a 6 volt bulb in place of the 12 volt bulb. If your 29 Chev has an armored cable for the coil primary, you'll have to lift the top of the coil to get access to the primary lead. This makes for a bit of an un-tidy installation, as you'll have two wires running from the top of the coil to and from the driver's compartment. On my installations, I've cut the armored cable under the dash where it doesn't show and connected the tach at that point. If you decide to cut your armored cable, use extreme caution and care to just cut through the metal jacket without nicking the internal primary wire insulation. If you do damage the primary wire insulation, it'll be tough to repair without disassembling the Electro-Lock unit and replacing the primary wire (which is not a bad idea, as the original cloth insulation on the primary wire is probably baked, brittle, and deteriorated).

Modern tachs use a three-wire connection--a battery hot lead, a ground wire, and a connection to the coil primary lead at the distributor. These tachs are sensitive to voltage, and all that I've seen are made for 12 volt systems and won't indicate properly on a 6 volt system.

I have purchased all three of my tachs on Ebay--search for "Vintage Faria Tachometer". I've paid various prices from $25 to $75. I made my mounts from 3/8" thick Teflon or Delrin, but you can make any kind of mount that suits your application.

I've found these tachs to be accurate, stable, and reliable.

Mark